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VI: A Candle in the Dark
Xena All four of us ran outside. We did not expect to see the streets filled with so much chaos. “Hey Marc, you said the riot was at the supermarket, right?” Drake nervously asked. “Yes, I’m completely sure of that. The riots must’ve gotten worse during the hour we spent here,” Marc replied. Just an hour passed by and virtually the entire city was filled with riots. That was certainly not a good sign. “Listen to what their chanting!” Amber yelled. The crowds clearly didn’t want me around. “Down with the Avatar! Freedom belongs to the people!” the crowds chanted over and over again. It was a deafening cry. Amber grabbed my hand. “Maybe it isn’t safe for you to be in the streets. Your powers aren’t back yet, and if they recognize you, we might be in some deep—” Unfortunately, someone in the crowd recognized me before she had the chance to finish. “Look! The Avatar is over there. She tried to disguise herself by changing her hair and eyes. Get her!” The entire mob started running towards me. There were way too many of them to fight off. “Run!” Drake yelled. Immediately, all four of us ran away from the mob as fast as we could. All of us were pretty light on our feet, but the crowd was slowly gaining on us. “Guys, we’re going to need some wheels. There is no way that we’re getting away from this mess on foot,” Marc said between his heavy breaths. “Very astute observation genius, but we don’t really have a motorcycle we can all just hop onto!” Amber yelled. “Just shut up and keep running!” I replied. We ran as long as humanly possible, but this crowd was relentless. I guess I could thank modern day medicine for that. These people were automatic, and they were closing the gap. If we didn’t think of something soon, we would all be toast. Just when I thought things couldn’t get any worse, they got worse. Apparently the crowd split off, and another group of them flanked us. We were starting to get surrounded! “Go left!” Drake yelled. We all followed, but there was another part of the mob waiting for us. Only one street was left open for us. “Go right!” Drake yelled. Having no other options, we followed him. Surely enough, there was another part of the mob waiting for us there too. All four directions in the intersection were cut off. We were trapped. They started to close in on us. Marc started to panic. “Guys, we need to think of something, and quick!” “You think we don’t know that?” Drake growled. “Not really the best time for arguing guys,” Amber said calmly. “Look for anything that could be used for escape.” I scanned my surroundings. There was no way to reach any of the buildings without fighting through the mobs. The only option left were the streets. Or rather, under the streets. I looked around for a manhole, and there just happened to be one nearby. It would be a gross escape, having to go through the sewers, but I’d rather be dirty than dead. “Guys, I have an idea. See that manhole cover behind us?” I whispered to the others. They all glanced over at it, and immediately caught wind of my plan. “On the count of three, we go,” Drake said quietly. Our time was short. The crowd finally lost patience. “Alright, enough standing around! Get them! Make sure the Avatar doesn’t come out of New York alive!” a man in the crowd yelled. They charged us after he said that. “Drake, there’s no time. You and Marc should lift the manhole now!” Amber shouted. The two of them rushed over and picked it up. Amber and I jumped in. It was a solid ten foot drop from the street to the sewer, but some weird sludge broke our fall. It was unpleasant. “Boys, get down here now!” I shouted. Drake threw the manhole cover at the crowd, and he jumped in. Marc followed suit. Once the group was together, we ran into the darker parts of the sewers. We could hear the mob follow us down, but after a while, they gave up their pursuit. We finally had a chance to breath. Clearly, no one was pleased with the situation. “If I knew that I would be covered in shit, then I would’ve never tolerated being near you two. Women always cause these type of problems,” Drake said bitterly. Amber stopped him. “What the hell did you just say? Are you really blaming us for what just happened?” “Yes, I am. Our lives were fine until you two showed up.” “Well, I’m sorry. No one forced you to come with us!” Marc tried to stop the fight. “C’mon Drake, don’t be mean to Amber. She’s just looking out for Xena like we did.” “Hey Marc, I don’t appreciate your asskissing. I know what you’re trying to do, and let me tell you right now, it’s not gonna work,” Amber chastised. “And whose side are you on anyway?” Drake asked sharply. “Also, I don’t like the way you think I need people to look out for me. I was hurt, and that’s that. I don’t need babysitters,” I said, annoyed at Marc’s pathetic attempt at ending the argument. The argument between the four of us continued for a long time. We only stopped when we heard footsteps. “Shhh! I think I heard something,” Drake cautioned. The footsteps got louder and louder, but we didn’t know where to run. “Let’s get out of here,” Marc said with concern. I was having none of that. “No! This time, we fight.” The cause of the footsteps walked in plain sight. He was a middle aged man with a goatee. His build wasn’t very imposing, but he was clearly in shape. His smile was crooked, but friendly. “Bienvenue, mes amies,” he said happily. I didn’t speak French at all, so I was left in a daze. “What the hell did he just say?” “He said welcome, my friends,” Amber replied nonchalantly. I looked at her with confusion. “Since when do you speak French?” “I speak a lot of languages,” she shrugged. The man continued. “Yes, I was speaking French. Sorry, it’s an old habit. I still miss France, but I like the United States. What brings you to my sewer territory?” “We were running away from a crazy mob that was trying to kill Xena, and us!” Marc cried. The man shook his head. “The people these days. They have lost their marbles. Don’t worry though. My rebel group is very in favor of the new Avatar.” My eyes widened in shock. I didn’t realize that I still had supporters. “Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Dimitri Tatou. Pleasure to meet you,” Dimitri said with a wide smile. Amber stepped forward. “The pleasure is all ours, Mr. Tatou. I’m Amber, those two are Drake and Marc, and this is the Avatar, Xena.” Dimitri stared at me. “Yes, I recognized the Avatar, but her hair and eyes look different. What happened mademoiselle?” “I was shot in the back. My body is focusing all my energy into healing that injury,” I said sadly. He walked over to me, and he put his hand on my shoulder. “Mademoiselle Xena, you are more than welcome to join my rebel group, the Liberation Front. Unlike those murderous people above, we want to help the world, and it’s a blessing to have you with us. Let me show you where our headquarters are.” His heavy French accent made him hard to understand, but I appreciated every kind word. It’s been so long since I’ve had a true ally from everyday people. Marc nervously walked forward. “Is it okay if we come with you? Amber, Drake and I are with Xena. We’re kind of a team.” Drake smacked Marc on the head. “Forgive my brother. We’d just be honored if we could join your group too.” “Of course,” Dimitri smiled. “You are all welcome to join the Liberation Front.” I wasn’t quite sure what the future would have in store for us, but at least for now, I could really smile. Next time on 13th Redux... Category:Chapters